Masonry units include concrete masonry units and bricks that are stacked together and mortared to produce structures, such as building walls. Concrete masonry units (CMUs) include building blocks that are comprised of a mixture of aggregates, cement or other bonding agents, and other components such as admixtures. Over the years, methods for manufacturing CMUs have improved to produce CMUs that meet or exceed architectural aesthetic requirements and performance characteristics, such as those requirements developed by the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), among others. For example, architectural concrete masonry units (ACMUs), which include CMUs that meet or exceed the structural criteria for CMUs (e.g., load-bearing strength of 1000 pounds per square inch (PSI) for building blocks) in addition to exhibiting added aesthetic features (e.g., pigmentation), are available with more precise cuts, polished surfaces, and larger sizes that provide a sophisticated appearance that resembles marble or granite more than conventional basement blocks. Further, specially formulated aggregates and sealants are included in the manufacturing process to provide ACMUs with low absorption characteristics, enabling better weather and/or freeze/thaw resistance.
Despite these advances, walls constructed with CMUs still present challenges to masons and manufacturers of CMUs in their efforts to provide attractive finishes to buildings. In particular, mortar joints (e.g., the mortared area sandwiched between adjacent CMUs) have remained largely unimproved. During the installation of CMUs and or other masonry units such as bricks, edges are chipped and/or mortar is smeared on CMU (or brick) surfaces, often resulting in additional labor to clean the surfaces and the failure to meet the expectations of the owner or architect. Thus, a need exists in the industry to manufacture masonry units which enable improved mortar joints that address the aforementioned and/or other deficiencies and/or inadequacies.